Universal

Universal is a vintage Japanese pinball and arcade manufacturer that released a compact but influential lineup of coin-op machines beginning in 1977, producing some 53 titles across the late 1970s and early 1980s and earning a place in classic arcade history for both video and pinball releases and rare solid-state designs. Best-known entries from Universal’s era include pinball and arcade titles such as Hard Rock (1977), Hercules (1978) and the unusual 1979 solid-state pinball Harem Cat — a multi-player cabinet notable for its monitor score display and cabinet artwork that now appears in vintage pinball archives. Today Universal’s machines are prized by collectors and preservationists as examples of Japanese coin-op innovation from the transition to solid-state electronics, and original Universal pinball cabinets like Harem Cat remain rare finds documented in museum and census records, underscoring the brand’s legacy in classic pinball and arcade collecting.